I hate all American cars because there ugly

[Andy]

the equivalent corvette is 70+k when i looked online there was a corvette coupe for 45k another for some other price and then the z06 for 70+k.

The reason why the corvette is soo cheap in comparison to european cars that are just as good is because chevrolet know that they have to have a very low price to be able to try and sell cars in the european market. The reputation that the corvette had in europe was that of an american muscle car that cant go round corners and many potential buyers wont bother to look at the new corvette because of that reputation. With the very low price tag and the great reviews that its been getting they should be selling like hotcakes.

 

[Cyrus]

Keep in mind, American cars are expensive for you and European cars are expensive for us, because there imported.

If I want to buy a carrera, its going to cost me upwards of 60k for the cheapest of the cheap basline model. A boxster will cost 45k new. And that's no where near the performance of a vette, and it looks like trash too.

 

[Stingray]

The reason why the corvette is soo cheap in comparison to european cars that are just as good is because chevrolet know that they have to have a very low price to be able to try and sell cars in the european market.

That's not true. This is really the first generation of Corvette that's even been significantly marketed in Europe. Chevrolet really didn't care before. The vast majority of their sales are in North America.

 

[Andy]

If the corvette cost was priced the same as a 911 GT RS (as it has every right to) then nobody in europe would buy one. Because it is soo much cheaper europeans will buy one, simple.

 

[Stingray]

If the corvette cost was priced the same as a 911 GT RS (as it has every right to) then nobody in europe would buy one. Because it is soo much cheaper europeans will buy one, simple.

That's irrelevant. Only around 1-2% of Corvettes are sold in Europe. And that's probably quite a bit more than in previous generations (which were similarly priced).

You would make a better argument by saying that Americans wouldn't buy the car if it cost as much as a GT3 RS. I'd agree with that, and there are good reasons for it. People don't buy sports cars purely for performance. Corvettes don't really feel all that solid, are painted cheaply, and have low-rent interiors. The overall "feel" isn't great either compared to many Porsches (but of course not everyone agrees).

Probably most important of all, Chevy is known for making junky economy cars. Porsche is known for making sports cars. Prestige alone justifies a price difference to many people.

 

[rcgldr]

A Z06 Corvette is guaranteed to make 505 hp (not 400hp), and they generally run around 515hp. The Corvette is much lighter than the 911 turbo. It's even lighter than a Subura WRX STI. The 7.0 liter pushrod V8 engine in the Vette is lighter than the 3.8 liter flat 6 engine in the Carerra.

From Car and Driver, September 2006:

Z06 Corvette 505hp, 3186lbs, 1/4 mile, 11.7 seconds at 123mph, 0 to 150mph, 17.7 seconds, Papenburg track lap time, 1:15.85, skidpad conerning force in g's 1.01, braking 70mph - 0mph, 146 feet.

Porsche 911 Turbo 480hp, 3514 lbs, 11.7 seconds at 121mph, 0 to 150mph 19.1 seconds, Papenburg track lap time, 1:17.55, skidpad conerning force in g's 0.98, braking 70mph - 0mph, 151 feet.

With the engine at the rear and all wheel drive, the 911 is quicker to 60mph, 3.4 (911) versus 3.5 (z06). Gearing helps with 0 to 100mph 7.8 (911) versus 8.3 (z06), as the Z06 has taller gears, 60mph in 1st, 90mph in 2nd, 125mph in 3rd. In a rolling start from 5mph to 60mph, the Z06 is quicker, 4.0 (z06), versus 4.6 (911), more of a torque curve test since the driver isn't allowed to use the clutch to spin the tires and launch at higher rpms, turbo lag at lower rpms may be hurting the 911 as well here.

Regarding the top gear times, the "stig" is really different drivers, it's a standing start lap, and they don't do multiple runs to get a best or average time.

From Motor Trend, April 2006

Z06 - 505hp, 3150lbs

911 Carerra S - 355hp, 3275lbs. 380hp with X51 package. They tested with the 355hp version though.

Cayman S - 295hp, 3088lbs.

Laguna Seca lap times, 1:47.3 seconds (z06), 150.0 seconds (355hp Carerra), crashed (Cayman S). MT Figure 8, 24.9 seconds (z06), 25.3 seconds (Cayman S), 25.8 seconds (355hp Carerra).

Lemans 24 hours GT1 class

The Corvette C6.R has won 5 of the last 6 races.

price

In the USA, the Corvette Z06 is about $70,000 (USA), but in England, it's $133,822 (USA), or 60,000 pounds, so there must be a significant tariff on this car.

update - Boxster

Being a convertible, there's too much chassis flex for the Boxster in stock form to make a good track car. It needs a roll cage in order to get the chassis stiff enough, but then that's a modified car. The Cayman S, based on the Boxster, makes a better track car in stock form, but is still slower than the Z06, even on the MT figure 8 track which is very small and tight.

 

[Anttech]

I have been reading up on the new corvette, and I am impressed My prejudges of American cars were not warranted for this model. So it is proof you can actually make good cars. Why is you Car industry so bad then?

 

[Stingray]

Why is you Car industry so bad then?

It's getting much better now, but it's hard to shake off the 25 or so years of junk that was produced (with a couple of exceptions). I think there are a lot of reasons for those old cars, but one of them is that the workers' unions negotiated some very expensive contracts back when the American auto industry was booming. Because of that, employment costs are so high now that a lot of corners have had to be cut.

I think American car companies were also affected much more by the emissions regulations in the 70's. Huge cars with gas guzzling engines were the norm, and forcing them to conform to the new laws really didn't work. European and Japanese cars tended to already be lighter and more fuel efficient, so they weren't hurt as much. That might have triggered the downward trend.

 

[rcgldr]

Why is you car industry so bad then?

A bit off topic, but the main reason is the preferences of USA drivers can change quickly, a lot of which is based on image. Big SUVs and trucks were in demand and had high profit margins. Now with higher gas prices, the associated bad image of owning a gas-guzzler, USA drivers quickly changed their preferences to cars with better fuel effenciency, or just decided to hold off on purchasing a new vehicle. The cheaper cars in demand now don't have the profit margins that the SUV's and trucks did, so that hurts the big 3 USA car manufacturers.

Unlike other countries, the percentage of winding roads driven by USA drivers is very small, so cornering peformance is a low priority for most USA car drivers, and this is reflected by most of the cars sold here.

Because of the relative wealth, there's probably a higher percentage of USA drivers that actually spend some time at a real race track, compared to Europe, but it's still a very small percentage. As far as spectating goes, the USA percentage is less than most of Europe, so there's not much of a fan base interested in good handling cars. Gas is still relatively cheap here in the USA, so cars here are bigger and more powerful than those sold in other countries.

Getting back on topic, the older stock Corvettes didn't handle all that well, but with a low center of gravity, modified versions did well at race tracks. The C5 Z06 was the first good handling Corvette, and now the C6 Z06 is even better, got a 100hp boost to 505hp, and is much lighter. It's much pricier than previous Corvettes at about $70,000 USA, but it's cheaper than it's main USA competition, the 2005 / 2006 Ford GT, at $166,000. The Ford GT, 3390lbs, and 550hp, can be quicker than the Z06 at some tracks, the rest of the cars I mention here are slower. A 355hp Porsche Carrera S costs about $90,000 here, $106,000 if you want the 380hp X51 package. The 911 turbo costs about $125,500. The 295hp Caymans S with upgrades cost about the same at the Z06, about $73,000, but with the same weight, 3150lbs, but less power, 295hp, versus 505hp, the Z06 is quicker.

If you got the money, a Porsche Carrera GT, at $440,000, is quick. 3050 lbs, 610hp. Then again, for around $100,000, Chevy is planning a 2007 Z06 with a supercharger will be making around 600 to 650hp (depending on who you believe), with out much increase in weight.

 

[Anttech]

I was reading that Chevy will be splitting the corvette brand from Chevrolet, in Europe at least. This is due to the rather bad image that chevy has here. If they manage this then I can see it selling ok here. The only problem is, for that amount of money people expect a slight better interior than what is being offered. The engine et all is a lot better in the new model... You never know it might sell, but they have a LOT of competition here in the sports cars arena